I apologize,” he said. “You walked on to the crossing and I slowed down, preparing to stop, but then you changed your mind and walked back to the kerb.” His eyelids were quivering at the corners. “And then without warning you lurched forward on to the crossing.
-- Wolfgang (chapter 1)

Importance: A man who may be named Wolfgang explains his version of events to Saul after hitting him with his car. Here, Wolfgang gives a version of events that excuses him of any responsibility. This foreshadows the twist later in the novel when it is revealed that Saul’s account of his own life similarly seeks to evade responsibility.

I smiled at his careful reconstruction of history, blatantly told in his favour.
-- Saul (chapter 1)

Importance: Saul responds to Wolfgang’s version of events. This reflects Saul’s lack of self-awareness. Saul is capable of seeing when other people create a biased account of an event in order...